Re: General Semantics

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1 total messages Started by Toby Howard Fri, 04 Sep 1987 12:12

#483

Author: Toby Howard
Date: Fri, 04 Sep 1987 12:12

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I didn't see the original posting, so apologies if this is old hat.

   Martin Gardner devotes a chapter of his 'Fads and Fallacies in the Name
of Science' (Dover) to Count Alfred Habdank Skarbek Korzybski and his
General Semantics. Gardner is guardedly skeptical, and mentions that the
Count regarded himself to be one of the world's greatest living thinkers,
regarding his "Science and Sanity" as the third book of `an immortal
trilogy', the others being Aristotle's 'Organon' and Bacon's 'Novum
Organon'. Interestingly, Gardner reports that the Institute of General 
Semantics was founded in 1938 with funds provided by a Chicago 
manufacturer of bathroom equipment, and that the good Count always wore
Army-type khakis, and was in many was the `dynamic leader' type so often
associated with cults.

   I can recommend Gardner's book as a welcome antidote to `fringe science'
and pseudo-science in general. Although last updated in 1957, much is
still relevant. Please use the address below for replies.

                            - Toby Howard -   
Computer Graphics Unit, Department of Computer Science
Manchester University, England, M13 9PL. Phone: 061 273 7121 x5429/5406
Janet: thoward@uk.ac.man.cs.cgu  
ARPA:  thoward%cgu.cs.man.ac.uk@cs.ucl.ac.uk

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